S'up guys! So how are we all doing?*Cue chorus of groans*

Oh.Right. School. Oh well. Here is another chapter to keep you guys going!*Readers instantly start cheering* What's more, this chapter may be a bit longer than usual, that's just the way the chapter turned out. Maybe all the chapters will be like this from now on, I don't know. We'll just wait and see.

Here ya go! We're back to Ash's POV again!

~~~~~
*A MONTH LATER*

Ashlinn's POV

I couldn't get to sleep.

My mind kept me awake,racing through several scenarios I had created in my head,most of them negative,most of them including the words "They'll hate me".

It was now the 15th of February, and we were officially on mid-term break. Tomorrow was Saturday....and the day we headed over to London.

I had never been as excited,scared,hopeful and completely terrified at the same time.

Everything had been finalised. All of my packing had been done.(My luggage consisted of my favourite clothes, books, a few cosmetics...and I mean a few ...and laptop.) I had called up Aunt Niamh and she had given me permission to stay for a few days at her place. PJ had emailed me back,saying that if I had to wait a while before going,that was fine,my studies came first. He said that he had mentioned me to his Youtube friends and that they couldn't wait to meet me(This had made me let a fangirlish squeal in response,until I realised he might have only put it in to make me look forward to the trip or something. Then I wasn't so happy.)

Whenever I passed Seàn in the halls at college,we caught each other's eyes and we smiled at each other briefly,before continuing on our way. So far,Maeve and Mrs.Connell hadn't suspected a thing,and when they had rung up,Seàn had done a flawless impression of Patrick. If Seàn ever decided he didn't want to work in the field of Science(which was very unlikely at this stage), he could have been an actor I swear. Seàn had texted me a good few times in the run up to the trip,the most recent one being a few hours ago saying "Good luck,baby sis." I had replied "Don't call me that. And thanks:)."

Recently,Seán had become less of a Patrick clone to me and more like the brother I had remembered growing up with. Maybe it was because we were both trying to keep a secret from Patrick, and we had formed a temporary truce to do so. Or maybe it was the fact that I had gotten what I wanted,and I was keeping on his good side. Either way,I hoped it would last.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day,or as Maeve and I called it"Make-single-people-feel-like-shit" day. We spent Valentine's tiring ourselves out with coursework at my apartment, watching soppy rom-coms and scoffing bitterly at their happy endings. Maeve had suggested at one point that Dan and Phil were my Valentine's,to which I blushed a crimson red,and proceeded to stuff a huge spoonful of Ben and Jerry's Caramel Chew Chew ice cream into my mouth so I wouldn't have to answer.

Which led to brain freeze. Which led to me squealing like a pig as I tried to remember how to breathe. Which lead to Maeve filming me on her phone. I would have flipped the finger at her,but since I was taught by my late mother to be a young lady of elegance and class,I merely stuck my tongue out at the camera. (.....Ok,I might have flipped the finger as well.)

Remembering it now in bed made me smile. It even put my negative thoughts at ease. Maeve was the best friend a girl could ask for.

Which made lying to her even more harder.

Sighing,I tried not to let guilt overwhelm me and I burrowed down under my covers and pushed all of my negative thoughts to the bottom of my mind. I was asleep half an hour later.

~~~~~
I would have liked to have said that I woke up to Dan Howell's voice on the morning of the trip, but it didn't quite work out that way.

You see, I had left my bedroom door open and the front door of my apartment wasn't too far from the bedroom door. Which meant that even in my sleep stupor,I could hear someone knocking on the door and saying in a cute voice "Ashlinn?"

And then Maeve's off-tune singing could be heard through the door.

VERY LOUDLY.

"Will you help me hide a body?

Come on,we can't delay,

No one can see him on the floor,

Get him out the door,

Before he can decaay!"

Oh god. My eyes quickly shot open, and I took a quick glance at my alarm clock,before jumping out of bed. I must have jumped out a bit too quickly though,as I felt the blood rush to my head and I felt a dizzying sensation wash over me. Once it had passed,I marched down the hall to the front door.

"I thought you were my buddy,

We won't get caught,

Just help me and don't ask whyyy!"

Opening the front door,I found Maeve still singing at the top of her voice,grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Will you help me hide a body? It doesn't have to be in one piece!"

"Maeve!" I hissed,dragging her inside. She giggled quietly as I did so. I quickly checked the hall to see if anyone else had been woken up, and I saw a good few people glaring at me suspiciously. "Sorry." I sleepily mumbled at them. "I'm not harbouring a dead body. My friend is just being stupid." I slammed the door slowly,ignoring the weird glances I was getting.

It's not every day you get woken up by girls singing off-key about dead bodies. But it's a even less common occurrence to see their sleepy teenage friend dressed in a bunny onesie, apologising for her friend's misdeeds.

"Maeve,do you know what time it is?" I growled at her, after I shut the door. Maeve innocently looked at me. "Nope." She said,popping the P as she said it.

"It's half past 5 in the morning. Seriously,you didn't have to wake me this early." After I said the sentence,I let out a huge jaw-cracking yawn. I winced at the sharp pain that shot through my jaw.

"The taxi is arriving at seven. We have an hour and a half before our flight, and we won't be landing at Heathrow until eleven...."Maeve hit me with a run-through of our schedule for the day. I was too overwhelmed to even comprehend what she was saying so I mumbled that I needed some tea and shuffled to the kitchen. "Make that two please....no wait,I've already had enough caffeine this morning." Maeve followed me into the kitchen babbling away like a crazy person,as I switched on the kettle.

"How many cups of coffee have you had?" I asked her,popping some slices of bread into the toaster,and switching it on.

".....I think I had three cups. But I couldn't sleep! I was just so excited! And the coffee was so good,I just had to have two more cups...."

"May.....normal people don't have 5 cups of coffee at five in the morning."

"I know. But I kept thinking of all of the cool shops in London,and all the pounds I had in my bag,and all of the new clothes and makeup I was going to buy, and all of the cute British lads.."

By the time Maeve had finished her little rant,my cup of tea was warming up my hands,and I was eagerly slurping the hot liquid down my throat,and scoffing down some freshly buttered toast. I felt a million times better already,now that I had some food in my system.

"So what about you? What are you most excited about for London?" Maeve asked me. Before I could reply,she blurted out"I guess you're just looking forward to seeing PJ again,and meeting people who do Youtube."

I nodded in reply,my mouth full of toast. I swallowed before replying"Yeah,I am. It will be great to see PJ again-and meet new people." I replied. Speaking of Youtube,I hadn't uploaded any new videos since my last one,because I was so busy getting my stuff ready for London, but I had hinted to my Fandomers that I was going to be shooting a very special vlog soon. Luckily they all understood and they were so sweet about it.

I used to think it was clichè for popstars or actors to say they had the best fans in the world, but now I understood what they meant by saying that. I really did.

Maeve faked a gasp of horror. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Ashlinn O'Donnell,wanting to meet new people?" I smiled at her reaction. After all,Im not exactly the most sociable person in the world. Making friends with new people was practically unheard of for me.

"These people are....different Maeve. I feel like...."I struggled to find a way to explain it. How does one define the relationship between a Youtuber and their audience? "It feels like I already know them as well as I know you,even though I haven't met them in person before. I feel like I'd be as comfortable being myself around them,like I am around you. It might be weird granted, that they don't know me as well as I know them,but I feel that doesn't matter. They can get to know me and I'll get to know them as they are off-camera." I was starting to sound like a naive five year old on her first day of school. I decided to shut my mouth and finish my tea and toast. As I did so,a silence fell over the kitchen.

Maeve stared at me before saying softly" You really want to make a good impression on these people,don't you?"

I nodded shyly,looking down into the dregs of my tea. "I do." I mumbled."Really badly." A small smile crept across Maeve's lips. She didn't have to say anything else. She understood. "Tell you what,why don't you get dressed,and I'll wait here. She said,taking my empty mug and plate off me.

Nodding silently,I made my way into my bedroom and shutting the door. After making the bed,I turned around and got dressed into my outfit for the day:a blue Sword Art Online t-shirt,over black skinny jeans and a red Hollister hoodie over my old scuffed-up Converses. I put on some mascara,and smeared some tinted Vaseline on my lips. There. I was all set to go.

"Ashlinn! The taxi should be here by now!" Maeve called out just as I finished getting ready.

"Coming!" Slinging my backpack over my shoulder and taking my luggage with me, I closed every door in the apartment and pocketed the front key of the apartment in my hoodie pocket, to give to Anna while I was away.

Joining Maeve in the front hall of my apartment,I took one last look around the hall before rolling my luggage out the front door and slamming it behind me.

~~~~~
"How ya,ladies?" The taxi driver inquired as we stuffed ourselves into the back seat of the taxi a few minutes later with our luggage. He was an old enough man around his mid fifties,with a pot belly,greying hair,glasses and a moustache. He spoke in a gravelly Dublin accent,the kind that the real locals spoke. Maeve and I had the same accent,but it wasn't as deep and nasally as this guy.

"We're grand,thanks." Maeve answered,making her accent a bit more heavier than usual. "Can ya take this to Dublin Airport?"

"Certainly,can do." The taxi driver nodded,as he started to drive off. Maeve and I fastened our seat belts and we began the journey in silence. I jogged my legs up and down nervously as I held my backpack on my knees. I glanced up at the partition that separated the driver from the passenger. Then I glanced down at my backpack.

I suppose if I started vlogging now it wouldn't hurt....Realistically,I should have started at the house but due to Maeve waking me up way too early,I would looked and sounded like shit. At least I was a bit more presentable now.

Taking my camera out of my bag,I asked Maeve "Want to star in my new vlog?" Maeve blinked rapidly once,twice,three times. "Sure." she eventually mumbled. "Just let me touch up my makeup." She rummaged around in her bag for her compact mirror,and started to touch up her lipstick while I turned on my camera. As it turned on,I slowly took a few deep breaths.

In,out. In,out. In,out. I opened my eyes as I turned the red light on for recording,and forced a huge smile on my face. It wasn't exactly hard seeing as I was excited for today.

"Hello Fandomers! You're probably wondering why I'm in a taxi. Well today is...yup;you guessed it,a vlog! I might be vlogging a lot this week,because my good friend Maeve and I....say hi to the camera,Maeve!" I turned the camera on Maeve,and Maeve almost jumped in midair. She looked like a rabbit caught the in headlights of car,as she waved at the camera and let out a small shy "Hi...."

I was a bit taken aback,because I had assumed Maeve would have either been her usual bubbly self. Either that,or she would have hammed it up for the camera,but she did none of those things. I didn't let my surprise show and turned the camera back on my face. "Anyway,it's my college mid-term this week and Maeve and I are headed to London! I am literally so excited,because I've never been to London before and I wanted to share the journey with you guys! We're in the taxi to Dublin Airport at the moment,so let's do a little time skip,shall we?" I turned off the recording button and frowned at Maeve. "You okay? You went a bit quiet there...."

"I'm okay. It's just....I'm not used to the camera that's all." She mumbled,taking out her phone and scrolling her finger along the screen. She then let out a gasp. "Oh my god! Ashlinn,these puppies are sooo cute!" She then showed me a post on Instagram,showing a bunch of Cavalier King Charles all huddled together in a wicker basket ,making puppy eyes at the camera.

I took this as a sign that Maeve didnt want to talk about it,and I let out a appreciative "Awww." She continued to blabber on about random things,while I filmed the journey outside to put into a little montage later and nodded every now and again to let her know I was listening.

Maeve never starts blabbing unless she's nervous.

~~~~~
Eventually we arrived at Dublin Airport,and I filmed our arrival. It was too hectic to film anything else,so I put my camera away and focused on getting though the airport. It turns out due to bad weather,our flight was delayed by half an hour,so Maeve dragged me to the airport branch of Costa Coffee to get a takeaway,because she was almost low on her coffee rush from earlier.

"So how is your writing going?" she asked,sipping on her takeaway mocha as we sat in the arrivals lobby.

"Honestly? It's pretty bad." I admitted,taking a sip of my apple juice.(Well,who said that I had to have coffee? I saw nothing wrong with juice. I wasn't a firm believer in having too much coffee anyways.) **

"Do you have writers block?"

"Maybe. I managed to write stuff for Professor Fields so I don't know. I keep writing stuff,but honestly,it's the same as writers block,I guess. I write stuff down,but it doesn't feel right, so I have to start again. It's like French....I can't even begin to comprehend it..."

Maeve smirked at me. I hadn't been great at languages in school,but she had been. Like me,she had taken French in school,and one time when someone had insulted me,she had painstakingly copied that person's handwriting for a French essay as well as her own. She said things like"I am chubby. I am a pig. I like to make snorting noises like a dying animal."(No lie.) She never got busted for it,surprisingly.

"You'll be grand,Ashlinn. Like I said,you'll find that inspiration,and then you'll be popping bestsellers like J.K Rowling." Maeve patted me on the back looking very confident in her statement,seeing as J.K Rowling was the only author she knew.

There was a chime played over the loudspeakers at that point and the lady announced" The delayed 9:30 plane to London has landed in Terminal 1. I repeat..."

"That's our flight!" Maeve dragged me up by the arm ,her coffee cup still in her other hand,as she gulped the remainders of the mocha down. I almost choked on my juice,as she dragged me to the start of the queue. "London,here we come!"

"Boarding passes,please?" The lady at the gate inquired,as we ran up to her. Maeve froze."Ash..."

"Yes?"

"Where are our boarding passes?"

"With our luggage. Which we don't have because you left it by our seats!"

"....Shit."

We eventually got onto the plane,after retrieving our luggage and boarding passes,while all the other passengers in the queue began to grumble and swear under their breath. We eventually managed to board the plane. No sooner had Maeve loudly proclaimed shotgun for the aisle seat, then her eyelids began to droop. She was fast asleep during takeoff.

I sighed, smiling a little at her. That girl...she never changes.

Seeing as I couldn't go online during the flight, I dug my IPod out of my rucksack and put it on shuffle. "Perfect" by Emma Blackery started to blare through my headphones. I started to smile and mouth the lyrics quietly,while staring out the plane window.

I used to spend my nights wishing that I could be someone else
Then I realized the person I'd be was always gonna be myself
'Cause if you look past the imperfections
We are all the same, we're only human
The most powerful thing you own is your...Voice
Scream above the noise
That you're perfect as you are
Even when times are hard
You are brave
And even if they say
That you'll never go far
'cause you're "dumb", "skinny" or "scarred"
You're perfect the way you are..

Those lyrics had helped me though tough times. I had listened to them on repeat constantly,in the past few years or so.

But it wasn't until that moment,when I was more than 10,000 feet in the air on a airplane,heading towards London,towards PJ and all of the exciting new Youtube opportunities that I truly believed them.

~~~~

"Ladies and gentlemen,we will shortly be arriving at Heathrow Airport. Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing. Thank you for flying with Ryanair."

"Maeve!" Maeve was jolted awake by me shaking her repeatedly. She let out a pig-like snort,and whipping her head up from my resting place on her shoulder. She rubbed her mouth with the back of her arm and winced,when a long trail of saliva had formed on her arm. She then looked at the left shoulder of my hoodie,which was soaked in drool.

She noticed my raised eyebrow look and mumbled "Sorry."

I smiled at her guilty look and said "It's fine. We're landing in London in a few minutes." Maeve's eyes widened."WHAT?! I was asleep for the whole flight?" she cried dramatically,earning a few weird stares from the aisle across from us.

"Yup. Your coffee rush wore off pretty quickly."

".....I need more coffee."

"Maeve,too much coffee isn't good for you. You do realize that caffeine is a drug?"

"...I don't care! I need coffee."

Sighing, I buckled my seat-belt and continued to play Animal Crossing on my 3DS, until it was time for landing. Turning off my 3DS and shoving it into my backpack, I felt a jolt as the plane hit the runway.
Maeve reached for my free hand and gripped it tightly. She had only ever been on a airplane twice, this was her third time on one. She wasn't as accustomed to flying as I was, so I squeezed back reassuringly.

We both looked out the window, as Heathrow Airport came into view.

"We're here."

~~~~~
As I stood with Maeve near the baggage carousel, I switched on my phone,hoping to see a text message from PJ. Did I mention he was picking us up at the airport and then driving us to Aunt Niamh's?

Luckily, there was one new message from him,that was sent literally a few minutes ago.

S'up. Chris and I will pick you up at Arrivals,and we'll go for a coffee and catch up before dropping you off at your Aunt's?

I showed the message to Maeve,and she grinned at me devilishly. "Hot Italians and more coffee? Count me in." At that point,she spotted our luggage and scampered over to collect it.

Dear god. That girl never changes. I quickly typed a reply to PJ: Yeah,that's fine! We've just arrived btw. See u in a minute!:D

"Ashlinn!" Maeve called over to me,as I sent the text to PJ. "A bit of help here?" Running over to her while shoving my phone into my bag, I took my suitcase off her and we both walked with our luggage towards the Arrivals terminal.

As we made our way to the Arrivals terminal,I was craning my neck to look for PJ and Chris in the crowd of people. It didn't help that one of the girls on the flight was currently having a very loud reunion with a couple of friends-a few meters away from where I was standing.

"Oi!"

I turned to my right,and found myself looking at the special section where taxi and limo drivers hold up signs for their clients-and I smiled. PJ was standing there grinning, holding a sign that read:"GIRL OF FANATICNESS!" in big bubble writing,and in his usual writing he had wedged in "and Maeve" underneath. Chris was lurking behind PJ,a small smirk on his face.

"Ashlinn!" He yelled,as Maeve and I made our way over to him. "It's good to see you again!" He held his arms out for a hug. I was a bit surprised by this,but I accepted the hug anyways. "Thanks PJ. It's good to see you too." I grinned at him. PJ stepped back,and he gestured to Chris."This is my mate Chris,you might know him from Youtube." Of course I knew him from Youtube. He was known as "crabstickz", a sketch vlogger and stand-up comedian. He was well known for creating and playing the character of Becca Hodgekins,who was defined by her blonde hair,purple hoodie and glasses. Becca was created to take the mickey out of fangirls everywhere,apparently. (....I am ashamed to see I have a purple hoodie and I wear my glasses sometimes out in public, even when I don't need them like Becca.)

Chris held his hand out politely."Nice to meet you.PJ never shuts up about you. "He commented in a cheerful tone. "He keeps saying"You're the next b-"

"That's enough,Chris." PJ interjected,his cheeks flushing red from embarrassment. An awkward silence began to fall over us,but I quickly introduced Maeve."Uhm. PJ,this is my friend Maeve who I mentioned. Maeve,this is PJ." Maeve already had a smirk forming on her lips. Uh-oh. It took all of my strength not to pull Maeve away there and then. She was clearly out to flirt with PJ-obviously,she hadn't been exaggerating when she said he was a hot Italian.

"It's so nice to meet ye all." She purred,her Dublin accent becoming a bit more lilting. "PJ,I've heard so much about you from Ashlinn,I feel like I already know you. But obviously I don't so, let's get a cup of coffee and get to know each other better,shall we?" PJ looked a bit surprised by Maeve's flirtatious approach,but he hadn't even gotten a chance to open his mouth. She was dragging PJ towards the nearest café.

Which left me and Chris awkwardly trailing behind them. I swear to God, I was going to kill her when I got my hands on her. I had to discuss a ton of stuff with him. Namely, when were we going to shoot the fecking video??

"So if you're from Ireland,that means you have leprechauns and pots of gold right?" Chris smirked at me. And not in a nice way. It felt like a...leery sort of a smirk.

And seriously? The guy needed to get his brain checked,if he thought that was a good joke. "Please." I huffed,rolling my eyes."Surely you know by now they don't exist."

"I know that." Chris continued to smirk. "But is it true you guys are all alcoholics? Do you drink just because you can?"

Just so you know,stereotypes about my country frustrate me to no end. And right now Chris seemed to be getting a kick at throwing them back at me,seeing as I am Irish and he wants to see if they are true(which they are not). Why should I have to suffer from 4 million people's mistakes? "Just because I'm over the legal drinking age in Ireland,doesn't mean I drown pints of Guinness whenever I feel like it. In fact,I've never had alcohol." I mirrored his smirk.

"Oooh,feisty aren't we? Someone's on her period." Chris mocked,putting his hands up in defence.

My jaw dropped open. HE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT."You did not just say that." I hissed at him."Don't you dare say that. Hasn't anyone ever told you how rude it is to say that to a girl?" Chris just shrugged in indifference. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Cocky little shit. By then, we had entered the cafe. We took our seats and the seating order worked out like this: Maeve and I were seated at one of of the table, Chris and PJ on the other side. I was across from PJ, Maeve was across from Chris. A pretty dark-haired waitress came over to take our orders.

"I'll have a cappuccino and an chocolate orange cupcake please." PJ ordered. "I'll have the cupcake as well, with a caramel macchiato." Maeve shot a dazzling smile at both PJ and the waitress, showing off her molars to the world. Chris ordered a latte, and when I ordered juice and a chocolate chip cookie, his shoulders started shaking sliently. He waited until the waitress was gone to start laughing. "And what's so funny?" I glared at him.

"Who in their right mind orders juice in a cafe?" he managed to gasp out.

"Who in their right mind makes fun of people for ordering juice in a cafe?" I shot back.

"Chris." PJ cut across our conversation. "Some people just don't drink caffeine , and that's okay . Don't make fun of Ashlinn for it."

"Peej, you know me. I'm having a bit of a laugh, what's wrong with that. Jesus." Chris huffed. He then turned to Maeve. "You get what I'm saying, right?" Maeve just stared at him blankly. I knew she wanted to say "Yes", but she couldn't because she knew I'd get ticked off with her. "Look Chris, just talk with Maeve for a while, I'll talk with Ashlinn, ok?" PJ politely asked him. Chris let out a huff and turned to Maeve. Once they had started an awkward conversation, PJ leaned over the table and muttered quietly to me "Sorry. Chris can be a bit .....blunt like that, when he's around new people. Once you get to know him better, I swear he's a great guy." PJ apologised. "It's fine!" I reassured him. "I'm well used to that anyways."

PJ leaned back in his seat and grinned at me. "I know you are." He said softly. "You're a real feisty girl, all right." I ducked my head forward so that my hair covered my slightly flushed cheeks. Just then, our drinks and snacks came, so luckily I didn't have to reply.

"So, when are we shooting the video?" I asked PJ, taking a sip of my juice. "Well, I was thinking maybe...tomorrow if it suits? I know you're here for a week, but I already have a really cool idea for the video, and I'd like to get it uploaded before you leave London. As well as that, the sooner we get shooting out of the way, the sooner we can do stuff. Have you ever been to the Tate Modern?" he asked. I shook my head. "It's this really cool art museum,I think you'd enjoy it. It's perfect for getting over your writer's block." PJ looked at me knowingly. I had been constantly whinging out about it via text and email to PJ,and of course it still hadn't cleared up yet.

I smiled at PJ."Maybe...hopefully it will. I'm just really nervous about meeting your friends. Your Youtube friends."

PJ looked at me as if I was insane."Are you kidding? They're going to love you. Hell,you remind me of Dan with your sarcasm."

"Sure PJ,because I'm actually Dan's long-lost sister." I sarcastically commented.

PJ snaps his fingers at me."That's what I mean! You guys would get along great." He commented,before taking a sip of his coffee.

Instead of having a fangirl attack,my cheeks turned slightly red and I suddenly became very interested in my Converse as I sipped my juice. I hadn't told anyone this(not even Maeve), but I had always had a crush on Dan Howell. Yes,I am aware that at least a million other people feel the same way I do,but I can't help it. Every time his face pips up onto the screen,my stomach does this weird sort of flip. My cheeks flush a bit,and I have to control my breathing. His sense of humour makes me laugh,in a way that no one else can make me laugh(which to clarify,is rolling around on the floor in complete hysterics. ) And that smile. Damn,that smile is cute!

Dan and his videos had helped me through some rough times,and I was eternally grateful for that.

I hoped I'd get to say it to him in person.

~~~~~
By the time we had finished our beverages, it was half two,but I was feeling absolutely exhausted and jet-lagged, after a long day of traveling, so PJ drove us in his car to Aunt Niamh's.

Her house was only an hour's drive away,but we were currently stuck in an severe traffic jam.

"Can't we just take a shortcut down by Piccadilly Circus?" Chris moaned(unfortunately he was still with us.)

"I can't,Chris! That way is blocked up as well!" PJ snapped,jiggling his left knee in frustration.

"Maybe you can take a shortcut on Portobello Road?" Maeve suggested timidly.

PJ and Chris said "No" in unison without turning around. "It's a attraction for tourists like you, dumbass!" Chris snorted.

"Don't play silly buggers with me,arsehole!"Maeve snapped. Her patience was wearing thin with Chris, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. She was outside of her comfort
zone,and Chris's snarky remarks weren't easing her nerves.

I don't really know what happened after that,because I had fallen asleep.

The next time I woke up was when we were outside Aunt Niamh's,when Maeve was shaking me awake,like I had done to her at the airport."Wake up,sleepyhead. We're here." She gently crooned,smiling down at me. Chris turned around and nodded. He opened his mouth to say something-but was placated

Stretching my legs out and my arms up over my head,I let out a large yawn-and came face to face with my Aunt's face practically smushed against the glass of the car. I let out a yelp and I practically jumped ten foot into the air-and in the process,banged my head off the roof of PJ's car. Aunt Niamh opened the door,and I was smothered in a patchouli-scented hug."Ashlinn,daaaaarling!" she cried."I've missed you! It's been ages!"

I should probably explain something. Aunt Niamh is.....to put it lightly.......crazy. Not the "she deserves to be locked up in a mental asylum" sort of crazy but she's still.....crazy. She reminds me of my mother,she has the same dark hair and green eyes,that I inherited from her. And her smile. That same smile Mum has on her face so often. Aunt Niamh is like my mother-but she's not my mother,and she never will be.

Mum is dead and she's not coming back.

"It's so good to see you again!" Aunt Niamh pulled me back from the hug,and took a good long look at my face. "You've grown up so much since the last time I saw you.....you're starting to look more like Saoirse every day." Both of our gazes awkwardly dropped to the ground. We couldn't mention her without a sense of awkwardness. We seemed to be the only people who still missed her,six years on.

"And you must be Maeve! I've heard so much about you from your mother." Aunt Niamh turned her attention to Maeve,taking her hand and shaking it vigorously. "Come in girls,and have a nice cup of tea! " She dragged me out of the car by my hand,and into the house-against my will,I might add. Maeve trailed along awkwardly behind me.

"Ashlinn,I need to catch up with you! It's been ages! I need all of the goss from Ireland! Tell me.does yer one down the road still have her 19 cats?"

"Mrs.Heffernan? No.....Seàn told me to say hi to you and the rest of the family though."

"Ah yes,Seàn! He's at college now,isn't he? He was only after doing his Leaving Cert the last time I saw him! Bless him,he's such a bright young lad....."

Aunt Niamh's house is average enough from the exterior,a modest semi-detached house. But the interior is a completely different story. Loads of abstract paintings line the bright orange wall, and the hardwood floors are covered in old threadbare rugs. A huge vase of fragrant lilies was placed on the table inside the door.

PJ was currently inside,admiring one of the paintings."This is a really good replica of Starry Night."

"Isn't it?" Aunt Niamh beamed."You'd be surprised at what you can find down in Camden Lock Market."

"Well ladies,I've brought all of the luggage in, so I must be taking my leave."PJ said,making his way towards the front door. "It was a pleasure to meet you Niamh. You too, Maeve. Ashlinn,I'll see you tomorrow." He tipped an imaginary hat at us,and opened the door,winking at all of us as he shut the door behind him.

I could have sworn Aunt Niamh and Maeve swooned right there and then.

~~~~~
"I'm home Mum!" Another voice called from the front door,a few hours later. Maeve and I were on the couch lounging when she arrived.

Clodagh.

Last time I had seen her,she had been a fifteen year old with acne-ridden skin,and braces.

I hardly recognised the slender 18 year old standing in front on me,flashing a brace-free smile,any traces of acne completely gone from her face. Her red hair was tied up into a bun,and her brown eyes danced with warmth,as she walked with the grace of a dancer to greet us. She was wearing a floaty Guns N' Roses t-shirt over what seemed to be a leotard. That explained the graceful walk then.

"Ashlinn. Oh my god,its really you! I haven't seen you in ages! I missed you!" Clodagh bear-hugged me in excitement. Apparently dancers have more strength than they let on...

"You too Clodagh. You've changed a lot." I bear-hugged her back."Have you met Maeve yet?"

Clodagh and Maeve introduced themselves to each other,and then the catching-up started. Clodagh told me she was doing her A-Levels this year,that she had taken up ballet and that she was pretty good at it,she was aiming for a scholarship at a dance school,and that she had lost some weight(some was an understatement,she had practically transformed.) I told her about my Youtube channel and PJ,and she literally had a freaking heart attack.

"OH MY GOD YOU KNOW KICKTHEPJ! HE WAS HERE IN MY HOUSE?! MUM WHY DIDN'T YOU PHONE ME AND TELL ME?!"(Obviously,this was directed at Aunt Niamh.) " HE WANTS TO MAKE A VIDEO WITH YOU! HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE A YOUTUBER? I HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR CHANNEL RIGHT NOW!"

"You can subscribe after you've had your dinner,Clodagh." Aunt Niamh called out. "Ashlinn,Maeve! Dinner!"

That night,I had the most enjoyable dinner I had in ages. I was accustomed to having dinner alone in my apartment,or with Maeve,or quietly with Patrick and Seàn. But the atmosphere was....different. The food had been made with care,there was lively banter all around,and everyone at the table was comfortable.

I felt safe.

I felt welcomed.

But most of all,I felt loved.

I felt like I was with family.

~~~~~
I'm so sorry if there's such a shitty ending,it's just as I upload this,I'm feeling like shit. I have a headcold,and my stomach is cramping like hell. It's not a good enough excuse but....yeah.

As well as that,it's the day before St.Patricks Day,and I'm cursing myself for falling sick the day before. I'm Irish,so of course I'm going to be celebrating tomorrow,even though I'm sick.

The songs mentioned are "Do You Want To Hide A Body?", a parody of Frozen's "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" and "Perfect" by Emma Blackery. The song is in the sidebar if your'e interested in giving the song a listen.

Also you may realise I mention coffee a lot in this chapter:that is because I'm hooked on this story called "Coffee for your thoughts?" by CharmingSorrows. The story is amazing,please check it out! :)

Happy early St.Patrick's Day to you all,my faithful readers and I will see you soon!❤️

One more time as Gaeilge:

Beidh Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona mo léitheoirí dílis, agus mé a fheiceann tú go luath!🍀

~Cici(queenofdaydreaming)